Advocacy

Advocacy

State and Federal Advocacy Opportunities

Every year Virginia is represented by a delegation of Pediatric Dentists working alongside the Virginia Dental Association (VDA) and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) to advocate for policies, guidelines and programs that promote optimal oral health and oral health care for children. Members are highly encouraged to participate in the state and/or federal advocacy opportunities listed below:

Public Policy Advocate for Virginia

Patrice B. Wunsch

Dr. Wunsch received her dental degree from Marquette University and then served as a general dentist in the U.S. Army. She then received her residency training and MS in Oral Biology from University of Maryland. After her specialty training, Dr. Wunsch served as the Chief of Dental Services at Kernan Hospital in Baltimore, part of the University of Maryland Medical System, prior to accepting a full-time faculty appointment within the VCU Department of Pediatric Dentistry.

The Public Policy Advocate (PPA) serves as the VSPD’s advocate for the oral health issues of infants, children, adolescents and patients with special health care and developmental needs. The PPA will help represent the VSPD in promoting children’s oral health issues with the state legislature and other elected bodies, state regulatory agencies (including Medicaid and health departments), licensing bureaus, professional health and child welfare organizations, oral health coalitions, foundations, institutions of dental education, publicly-funded safety net programs, and the private sector benefits industry. The PPA will also closely coordinate their activities with those of the VDA. PPAs will serve as an advocacy liaison between the VSPD and the VDA.

PPA Reports
01/01/2018 (Demo)

Contact our Public Policy Advocate

VSPD members interested in public policy issues in Virginia, as well as policymakers and advocates for children’s oral health at the state level, should feel free to contact the PPA using the form below: